My experience at Nelson Dentistry has been great! I don't have any complaints. All of the receptionists, dental assistants, and Dr. Nelson himself are very nice and create a nice welcoming atmosphere when I go to get my teeth cleaned. Overall a wonderful place!

At Nelson Dentistry, we do our best work every day, with every patient! We take pride in providing for all of your general dentistry care. And don’t worry if you have a particularly tricky treatment need, because we’ll help get you to the right specialist for the job!

Whether you’ve been coming to the office for years, or it’s your first time, my staff and I will do our best to give you fantastic service. I absolutely love that moment when I bring a new smile to a patient’s face.

Please watch the video that I (Dr. Nelson) put together for you. Yep, that's right, I enjoy working with technology so I created, directed, and starred in this movie! I'm planning to make more videos in the future too in order to help you become more informed and to show you my practice, how I work, and what my treatment philosophies are.

Comprehensive Exams

We'll help develop a treatment plan that's right for you

At Nelson Dentistry we offer comprehensive exams that include high-resolution photos of your teeth.

Comprehensive Exams in Missoula, MT

Your comprehensive exam will include photographs of your teeth, radiographs (x-rays), diagnosis of gum health, oral cancer screening, finding decay/cavities, charting your existing dental work, and specialized tests on individual teeth as needed. After the exam, we will work with you to develop the best treatment plan for your needs based on your values and lifestyle. We’ll also show you all the pictures we took so you can see exactly what we see.

Interpreting Your Photos

These high-resolution pictures are something that not many other dental offices offer. Some don't take any photos, and some will take low-resolution zoomed in photos with an intraoral camera, but I believe that in order for you to make informed decisions about having treatment done, you need to see what's going on clearly. Here's an example of some of the typical photos I take on one of my patients:

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Jonathan Nelson

Dentist

Almost 2 years ago I moved to Missoula from McMinnville, OR, where I was working as an associate at Gentle Dental. However, I am no stranger to Montana. From about preschool to 3rd grade I lived in Missoula near Chief Charlo Elementary. In fact, I was part of the inaugural 3rd grade class at Chief Charlo when it first opened. Before that, I attended C.M. Russell Elementary just down the road from our current dental office! Then, due to my parent’s job re-location, we moved to Helena, MT.I graduated from ...

I recommend that your baby be first seen by a dentist when their teeth first appear or by their first birthday. The first teeth that usually appear are the bottom front teeth at around six months. I like to seem them at this early age to catch any growth and development problems, catch cavities, make sure you know (especially if it's your first baby) how to clean the teeth, and to help the baby become accustomed to the dental office.

Nearly all babies and kids are a little scared to be in a new and unique environment and be laid back, and indeed most of them cry. But it's not because they're hurt, it's just because it's new. Typically the earlier and more consistent your kiddo is experiencing the routine of a dental visit the sooner they become accustomed to it, and it stops being scary. It's not uncommon for children who don't start seeing the dentist when their first teeth come in to finally come in when a tooth hurts. At which the tooth usually hurts from a big cavity. And if one tooth has a big cavity, usually there are several other cavities. This sets them up for a bad dental experience and they will often need to be treated by a specialist, possibly under sedation.

One of the worst things you can do for your baby is to let them go to sleep with a bottle of milk or juice (even diluted). This leads to getting a lot of cavities, possibly needing to have the teeth pulled if it's bad enough. If your baby can't seem to sleep without a bottle, try using warm water, or feed them before putting them to bed. It's even better to let them fall asleep with the bottle and take it away then to leave it with them all night or for the nap.

Photography is one of my hobbies, so yes, I love taking pictures of your teeth to show you exactly what I see! I take high resolution photographs of all new patient's teeth. It's funny how little people know about something they use so much--something that's attached to them none-the-less. It's very rewarding for me to show a picture to a patient that allows them to understand their health so much better. This also helps you feel much more confident about getting the work done that you need since you can see the problem I'm talking about. It's not just me telling you of something complicated and abstract, it us looking at the problem together to find the right solution for you. Often times there is "more than one way to skin a cat" and allowing you to see the issues helps you confidently make the right decision.